4 piece vs 5 piece kits
- Thread starter Rolltide
- Start date
Captain Bash
Silver Member
What about a five piece but with the 5th element being a second snare. I played this set-up for a decade and found it served modern music styles far better. One 14 x 7 wood snare one 13 x 6 metal. But this worked because the music included bass samples and mid-bass heavy keyboards running so adding toms was pointless exercise in cancellation.
I currently use a five piece 12 tom and 14 and 16 floors and a single snare, having even intervals in the mid lower range makes a nice change,but we don’t have a bass player, so no tonal competition at the lower end. Four piece is useful when time/ space is limited - or just for a change. Drum kits are good big medium or small.
I currently use a five piece 12 tom and 14 and 16 floors and a single snare, having even intervals in the mid lower range makes a nice change,but we don’t have a bass player, so no tonal competition at the lower end. Four piece is useful when time/ space is limited - or just for a change. Drum kits are good big medium or small.
rungeflash
Well-known Member
Neil Peart had way more than a 4 piece…..and I’d say he was pretty damn creative lol
I say the more the merrier
I say the more the merrier
Out of Round
Well-known Member
I like a one up/two down config for a 5-piece. I want thunderous creativity.
jda
Diamond Member
"it's a 25% difference"
(that's pretty big!)...
socratic.org
(that's pretty big!)...
What is the percentage increase from 4 to 5? | Socratic
See a solution process below: The formula for calculating the percent change in a value between two points in time is: p = (N - O)/O * 100 Where: p is the percent change - what we are solving for in this problem. N is the New Value - 5 in this problem. O is the Old Value - 4 in this problem...
socratic.org
Bo Eder
Platinum Member
When you say “creativity”, do you mean utilizing the two or three voices in a rhythmic pattern to make the music more, or do you just mean creativity in your fills (that aren’t really necessary)?
And of course, this is all after you’re taking care of business in the “keeping time for the music” department.
And of course, this is all after you’re taking care of business in the “keeping time for the music” department.
yammyfan
Senior Member
I love a 5-piece kit but find a 4-piece physically easier to play.
I like having my ride over the kick drum, and not having to twist to reach rack toms. A simpler, more ergonomic setup lets me relax and deliver a better performance. I value time keeping above all and will happily sacrifice tom fills for steadiness. In my experience, adding drum fills and whatnot just increases the number of opportunities to go out of time, and that's something I try to avoid like the plague.
I like having my ride over the kick drum, and not having to twist to reach rack toms. A simpler, more ergonomic setup lets me relax and deliver a better performance. I value time keeping above all and will happily sacrifice tom fills for steadiness. In my experience, adding drum fills and whatnot just increases the number of opportunities to go out of time, and that's something I try to avoid like the plague.
rungeflash
Well-known Member
I can see that for sure, it does create a more physical demand to turn your body. And that can cost time that might have kept one in synch without it.
I prefer a 2 up 2 down minimum because I like all those unison strike combos you have if you want. 1 up 1 down is pretty limited.
alparrott
Diamond Member
I have played 4 pieces and 5 pieces over the last few years, and I would say a 5-piece fits my personal style better. Of course, I normally have a timbale to my left so I'm kind of cheating on that front. I don't feel any discomfort with the second floor tom as it's a little to the right of the first; I don't need to twist much to reach it.
Benthedrummer
Silver Member
I'm really, REALLY digging my 4 piece set up at the moment.
It's made virtually no difference in my creativity, fills or sounds etc.
It just makes things soooo much easier for placement of things.
And it looks absolutely rockin'.
It's made virtually no difference in my creativity, fills or sounds etc.
It just makes things soooo much easier for placement of things.
And it looks absolutely rockin'.
Tony_H
Active Member
You just have to be more "creative" in how you do fills in those songs.
^^^ See what I did there...
dcrigger
PRO DRUMMER
I see no practical way that using 4 piece rather than a 5 promotes creativity one way or the other.
The only thing I find it affects is - when I want to play something needing 3 tom pitches, with two toms, I can't and with three toms, I can. Of course, the same could be said of 3 vs. 4 toms - or 1 vs. 2 toms.
Bottomline - IMO it boils down to each player's vocabulary when it comes to the use of toms. Somewhere you hears the toms as high and low most of the time, will gravitate to a 4 piece. Hear things more often in terms of high, medium, and low, then I'd gravitate more to a 5 piece as home base.
Which is the case for me. Actually spent many, many years playing a somewhat compact set with 4 Blaemire toms - 8, 10, 12 and 14 before later settle back into normally playing a 5 piece. Though just recently I've found myself going back and forth between having four toms 10-16 set up - or experimenting with using a (Sput Searight inspired) "Snom" (an 8x14 snare with a hydraulic head tuned to function as a 14" tom, but also as a low FX snare - nestled in with the other toms 10, 12, Snom, 16.
I think the important thing to remember that the drums don't play themselves - just because something is there, doesn't mean we have to hit it. For me, what to set up is dictated by what size pallette I want to have available to me - limited by practical and convenience concerns. But no matter - what I decide to set up, doesn't dictate what I play. Just what I have available to me.
caddywumpus
Archnemesis of Larryace
How, exactly, does a 4 piece kit “promote creativity?” If anything, it limits your sound options. I get the whole idea of having to condense larger kit ideas down to less voices, but that’s more an exercise in adaptation.
I gig on a 4 piece because it’s more practical for me—I like the ride cymbal positioning better, AND I only have to load in one rack tom!
I teach on 5 piece kits, because my students, traditionally, have always had 5 piece kits, and I built my curriculum around 5 piece kits. Nowadays, I’m seeing more and more “first kits” being 4 piece kits, so I teach my students to adapt (for example, how do you play the intro to Brick House with only a 4 piece?)
mikyok
Platinum Member
Really makes no difference how many pieces you have. I've done gigs with just kick & snare (with hats and a ride) and it works.
I play a 4 piece most of the time because I don't need anything more and to quote Max Weinberg on why he only plays a 4 piece, "I've got four drums. Anything more is redundant. Besides, I tend to trip over things"
I play a 4 piece most of the time because I don't need anything more and to quote Max Weinberg on why he only plays a 4 piece, "I've got four drums. Anything more is redundant. Besides, I tend to trip over things"
